Changing History
by amibleeding
Summary: Many things have changed following the war, especially for Draco Malfoy. Hermione Granger always thought she knew everything about Draco, but has history itself changed?
1. Chapter 1

The late afternoon sun streamed in through the stained glass windows of Hermione Granger's office window. Her spacious yet cozy office overlooked the western grounds of Hogwarts, giving a spectacular view of the lake. The fireplace was in full blaze to counteract the bitter chill in the castle that always took over in December. An owl flew by the window, a letter clasped in its talons, hooting softly as it headed towards the owlery. The amber beams of sunlight slowly disappeared as dark, ominous clouds rolled into the sky. Snow was expected to start falling before nightfall.

Hermione sat at her desk grading, bundled in a heavy wool sweater with an even heavier wool blanket draped across her lap. The term had just ended and the only thing lying between her and returning to her flat in west London for the Christmas holiday were these essays on Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration written by the first year students. She glanced down at her watch, given to her by Headmistress McGonagall when she was first hired. It was 4:30pm. She had hoped to finish all of the papers by that evening but she had to get ready for the end of term staff party later that night. She had completely neglected her appearance all that day and was desperately looking forward to a shot of firewhiskey. Or two. Her London flat could wait another day.

Finishing her last comment on an essay, Hermione rolled the parchment back up and placed her quill to the side. Leaning back in her chair and pulling up her blanket so that it covered her torso as well as her legs, she glanced out the window onto and the darkening grounds and thought about how she never thought she would be grading essays and looking forward to mingling with other professors at the Three Broomsticks. Three and a half years ago, Hermione had helped rebuild the castle following the Battle of Hogwarts along with many of her friends and peers. McGonagall had physically corner Hermione as Hermione was carrying an arm full of linens down a hallway of the castle. As she had become Headmistress, McGonagall explained, they were in need of a Transfiguration professor and McGonagall could think of no better candidate for the position than Hermione. Hermione was initially shocked, remembering almost dropping the linens and just staring dumbly at McGonagall trying to find her words before stammering "I have to think about it." After giving it much thought and discussing it with her friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she decided to accept the offer under the condition it was would only be a year long position. However, after the first year, McGonagall again approached Hermione to stay another year and Hermione shocked herself by immediately saying yes, realizing that she had truly come to love the job.

Hermione smiled to herself. She did love her job. She loved sharing her knowledge of magic to the new generation of wizards and witches as the embarked into the newly formed wizarding world following the war. The atmosphere and culture of Hogwarts had changed so much as well, as result of the war. No one lived in fear anymore and no one exercised prejudice. Instead the school firmly taught the equality of all beings, whether they are muggle born, muggles, or magical creatures. It filled Hermione's heart with joy that the cause she had fought for all of her life at Hogwarts had finally become reality.

Her thoughts were interrupted by two sharp knocks on her door. Wrenched out of her trip down memory lane, Hermione quickly thought who could be visiting her. Certainly not a student, as they were all celebrating the end of term. She decided it must be Luna Lovegood, come to see what she was wearing that night. Hermione stood up, letting the blanket fall to the floor, adjusting her sweater and running her hands through her curly hair as she strode towards the door. She opened the heavy oak door expecting to see the flowing blonde hair and exuberant smile of her friend Luna. However she was greeted by a different fair haired individual.

Draco Malfoy stood before her, wearing all black robes with hands clasped behind his back and a slight smirk upon his face. It was not strange to see Draco around the castle, he had been hired as the new History of Magic professor at the start of that term. They often passed each other in the halls, engaging in small talk, and often had actual conversations at meals or staff meetings. It quickly became apparent to Hermione that he was no longer the selfish and malicious Draco she knew in school. The years after the war had dramatically changed him. To many people's surprise, Draco publicly renounced his Deatheater family, assisted with the rebuilding of Hogwarts, and then spent three years in America attending a muggle university. After receiving a doctorate in Medieval History, he returned to England and continued to shock everyone by how much he had changed as a person. Not even a day after he had arrived back in London, he was visited by McGonagall who persuaded him to be the new History of Magic professor after hearing endless praise for his contributing to the magic community in America. Indeed he had lived up to his new reputation, becoming a model professor and colleague. He had become a philanthropist as well, publically donating a great deal of his inheritance to St. Mungos Hospital after both of his parents passed away shortly following the war. Hermione had come to genuinely enjoy his company, seeing many similarities between the two of them such as a dedication to education, and even counted him as one of her friends among her colleagues. However he had never come to her chambers, so this visit greatly surprised her.

"Good evening Hermione."

"Hi Draco."

Draco's smile broadened, sensing Hermione's apprehension and confusion. He unclasped his hands and ran a hand through his hair, which was no longer a solid, gelled mass as it was at school, but more loosely styled and a much more flattering cut. Hermione remained frozen in the doorway, giving Draco a quizzical look.

"I bet you're wondering why I've called on you at such a late hour."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Umm...yes."

Draco chuckled. "May I come in?"

Hermione nodded and quickly stammered something like "yes, of course, please, come in," opening the door wider and leading Draco to a set of chair by her fireplace. She realized that she probably appeared nervous, which she wasn't, just utterly confused about what was going on. She look a second to compose herself before sitting down in her favorite chair, gesturing Draco to take the other. He sat down and then looked up, dramatically locking eyes with Hermione. Hermione had of course made eye contact with Draco many times before, but there was something different about his gaze this time. Some shit was about to happen.

After a moment Draco smiled, diffusing the intensity of the moment, and dropped his gaze, chuckling again at himself.

"I know it's quite strange, me showing up like this." Draco looked around her office. "I realized that I have never been in your chambers before. And that you've never been in mine."

Hermione nodded, agreeing. She honestly didn't know where Draco's chambers were in the castle and felt a strange twinge of embarrassment.

Draco's eyes drifted back to Hermione, locking with hers once again. "I have something I would like to ask you that I wanted to ask before we all dispersed to our homes outside of Hogwarts."

Hermione nodded again, starting to feel like a parrot just robotically responding to their owner's words. Her heart started to beat a little faster. What the hell was he getting on about?

"I know that you will be returning to London, as will I."

Hermione nodded one more time.

"Well, when we have both returned to the city, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me."

Hermione didn't nod this time, but instead just stared blankly, eyes wide, frozen, processing what Draco had just said. A couple seconds passed before Hermione realized that she was staring and should probably say something in response. Comfortingly, Draco looked completely unfazed by her reaction. Perhaps he was expecting her to be as dumbfounded as she was in that moment. Hermione looked down, shifted in her seat, and cleared her throat.

Looking back up she said, "Like...a date?" She felt like she was 14 years old again and Viktor Krum was asking her to the Yule Ball all over again.

Draco smiled, eyes still locked onto hers. "Yes, like a date."

Hermione gave an extremely nervous laugh. "You've got to be joking." She said, slumping back into her chair.

Draco countered her action by leaning forward and sitting on the edge of his seat, clasping his hands and looking earnestly at her. "I am not joking at all, Hermione Granger. I would like to take you out for dinner and for us to enjoy an evening together."

Hermione sat back up, meeting Draco with a serious expression on her face. "I'm confused."

"I'm aware you are." Draco replied flattly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and couldn't help muttering "what the fuck" under the breath.

Draco ran another hand through his hair. "Let me explain, it's quite simple. I enjoy your company, you are the most intelligent and talented young witch I have ever encountered in my life, I think you are beautiful and interesting, and I want to get to know you better by spending time with you."

Hermione felt a strange warming sensation spread through her body and gave another nervous laugh. "Where is this coming from, Draco."

Draco shrugged. "I guess over the past three and a half years I've realized all of the things and people that I missed out on by being a snobby, self righteous prick. I thought about you often when I was in America but thought I had ruined any chance of having you part of my life because of our school years. But then I came here and I believe I have proven myself to you and everyone else that I am a very different Draco Malfoy than the one who used to call you 'mudblood.' That gave me hope that I hadn't burned every bridge from my past. And also as part of this, I realize that you never received an actual apology from me for treating you so horribly for seven years. I think our friendship has shown that you forgive me to at least a small degree, but I would still like to formally apologize. I know I don't deserve your full forgiveness, but I hope you do continue to forgive me and let me be part of your life." Draco sat back in his chair again, indicating that he was finished with what he had to say to Hermoine.

Hermione had to quickly process all of this. She appreciated his apology and was definitely going to accept it, Draco had certainly atoned for all of his sins over the past three years, proving to her and the rest of the wizarding world that he was nothing like the son of Deatheater Lucius Malfoy he used to be. She had come to forgive and forget all of the hurt that was caused before and during the war, it was the only way she could move on during these postwar years. The only thing that mattered to her now was how people acted in the present. But what was all of this about him thinking she as beautiful and used to think about her often and wanting to spend time with her? She guessed it really couldn't hurt to accept going on a date... After all she did enjoy spending time with him too. Plus he actually had become quite handsome and she often tried to ignore overhearing older female students whispering rather dirty things about him...a complication of being a young professor. But that was another matter. It took Hermione a solid minute before she felt prepared to respond.

"Draco...I would love to join you for dinner."

Draco positively beamed in response. "Fabulous. Well I will let you know when I am back in town and call you on your mobile I guess?" The wizarding world had begun using Muggle technologies such as mobiles and cars shortly after the war, realizing that Muggles were actually onto something with all of their gadgets and inventions.

Hermione nodded. "That sounds great Draco."

"Great. But I will also be seeing you tonight at the party, no?" He stood up and brushed off his black robes.

"Oh, yes, of course, I deserve some fire whiskey after reading three dozen essays in one sitting." She stood up as well.

Draco laughed. "I know what you mean, I had to endure an entire essay which referred to the Salem Witch Trials as occurring in Salem, Oregon instead of Salem, Massachusetts. And this is why I believe we should implement an American exchange, these British students know nothing of geography beyond the UK."

Hermione smiled, thinking that was actually a splendid idea. "You should propose that to McGonagall, I'm sure she would support that." She lead him towards the door.

"Oh I have thought about it, but wasn't sure if it would be well received. But if you think so, and if I have your support as well, I think I will." Draco said thoughtfully, walking out into the hallway and turning to face Hermione standing in the doorway.

"You will of course have my support, Draco." Hermione replied, giving a small smile.

Draco smiled back and nodded. "Thank you Hermione. I will see you tonight."

He turned and walked down the corridor, the click of his shoes echoing through the quiet space. Hermione remained standing in the doorway until she could no longer hear the echoes. She exhaled, realizing she was holding an immense amount of tension in her body. What an incredibly strange interaction that had been, one she never in her wildest dreams thought would happen. She couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy had actually asked her out on a date and she had actually accepted. She, Hermoine Granger, he Draco Malfoy?! Hermione had come to embrace the dramatic social changes in this new postwar world, but had honestly never thought that Draco Malfoy would change that dramatically to admit that he perhaps once had a crush on her? Let alone would have had a crush on her in the first place! It just seemed so unlikely, Draco's hatred and disgust towards Hermione and her friends was always so strong and unwavering during their school years. Draco had become a fine man who Hermione had come to like and respect, but still, that can't completely change history. Also what was this about thinking often about her? She had so many more questions running through her mind, but they would have to wait until their date she guessed. The studious part of Hermione's brain told her she should write them all down and be prepared with follow up questions, but she shrugged that off for the time being. Right now, she had to find Luna.


	2. Chapter 2

_She couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy had actually asked her out on a date and she had actually accepted. She, Hermoine Granger, he Draco Malfoy?!_

The first snowflakes were beginning to fall as Hermione and Luna Lovegood glided down the front steps of the castle towards Hogsmeade. Hermione had spent the past hour giving Luna the full details of her encounter with Draco as they got ready together for the party in Luna's chambers. Hermione left out no detail to the story, sometimes acting out the situation, she as Draco and Luna as Hermione. Just as Hermione had expected, Luna reacted with utter shock and awe to everything that Draco had said. After the story had been fully recounted, they spent a great deal of time theorizing why Draco was acting like this, and why now. Their theories ranged from he had accidentally ingested a love potion to he had lost a bet among his mates. Hermione and Luna were rapidly discussing that maybe something had happened in Draco's love life during his time in America which may have inspired this as they approached the gates of the grounds.

Standing by the gates, fully bundled up in a floor length wool coat, fur hat, and oversized knitted mittens, stood Neville Longbottom. As the two women approached him, Luna rushed forward to give Neville a quick kiss on the cheek, her long silvery blonde hair flowing behind her. Neville blushed and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hermione smiled at the interaction between two of her oldest friends. It had only taken six years for Luna and Neville to realize they were perfect together. Neville had been hired as the new Herbology professor the year after Hermione had joined the staff, and the year after that Luna was hired to teach a completely new course at Hogwarts, Literature and Media of the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds. The course was designed to familiarize students to the similarities between the writings of the wizarding and Muggle worlds, and there was no better professor for it than Luna. Hermione could remember the day that Neville had come to Hermione nervously seeking advice on how to ask Luna out for a drink in Hogsmeade. They quickly became a couple, even warranting a tabloid article about their relationship in _Witch Weekly_. Even three and a half years following the war, their whole group of classmates from school who were involved in the war were still treated as celebrities. Hermione suddenly thought about if she and Draco getting dinner together would create a stir in the tabloid world. She was constantly aware that she was always being watched whenever she went in public and was often faced with pictures of herself going for a stroll or shopping in London in various publications. She imagined Draco was as well, she had spotted several articles about him and his accomplishments over the years. Hermione sighed. They would just have to be extra wary of the ever lurking photographers and journalist when they went on their date.

As the three of them continued down the path towards Hogsmeade, the snowflakes started the fall faster. Hermione wrapped her wool coat tighter around her body. She had chosen to wear her more scandalous set of red dress robes with a plunging neckline and lace details. Just because she had to wear dress robes to all staff events didn't mean she couldn't look good. However the outfit offered little insulation and the temperature was dropping by the minute. She casted a quick warming spell and just thought of the firewhiskey that was waiting for her at The Three Broomsticks.

"You'll never guess what happened today to Hermione, Neville." Luna said in her usual dreamy voice.

Hermione blushed and said, "Luna, I really don't think Neville cares about my love life."

"Sure I care about your love life, Hermione!" Neville exclaimed in protest.

Luna burst out laughing.

"Do you really, Neville?" Hermione replied, laughing herself. "You never ask me about it."

Neville bit his lip and looked upwards as if in deep thought. "Well, you never bring it up yourself, now do you?"

Hermione sighed. "That's because there hasn't been much to report." For the past three and a half years Hermione hadn't participated much in the dating game. She and Ron briefly had a fling following the war but as the adrenaline from their adventures fizzled out, so did their relationship. Since then Hermione had been on a handful of dates while she was back in London on holidays, but nothing more than a pleasant evening of drinks and a kiss outside her flat had occurred. She was often cited as "Britain's Most Eligible Witch" by _Witch Weekly_ and received a great deal of mail from potential suitors, but she paid it no mind. She was more content to focus on her teaching and friends. The last date she had gone on was a little less than a year ago. She guessed she would have to shake off her dating boots and get back in the game now whether she liked it or not.

Luna gave a knowing smile in Hermione's direction. "She has something to report now."

Hermione chuckled. "I sure do." She looked at Neville. "I received a visit from our friend Draco in my chambers. He has asked me to have dinner with him when we both return to London. As in a date."

Neville stopped in his tracks, jaw visibly dropping. "WHAT?!"

Both women giggled. "That was my reaction as well!" Luna exclaimed.

Neville began walking again, looking a bit dazed. "Is this a joke?" He asked.

"That's what I asked him, but apparently not." Hermione replied, shrugging. "It sounds like he's always had a bit of a crush on me but thought he had ruined any chances with me until now."

"Has Draco gone barmy...no offense Hermione, but that just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean Draco has become a great guy, but this just seems out of character for him." Neville said, scratching his chin.

Hermione shrugged again. "I don't know Neville, half of me believes him and half of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to reveal this is a practical joke. I agree, he's become a normal human being but I still don't get how someone who tormented me for years could have actually liked me."

"You know, adolescent boys often show their affection through teasing." Luna interjected. "I'm sure you see it all the time with our students now. I once saw Everett Pickinees turn Violet Merlin's cat green, but then not even a week later he asked her to the Halloween Ball. They often use it as overcompensation to prove they don't have feelings. Am I correct Neville?

Neville gave a hearty nod in agreement.

Hermione snorted, realizing she had noticed the same thing between her students. "I think we're starting to get too involved in our students' lives. Anyway, I agree that boys act that way but I think Draco's case was completely different. He was brainwashed by his father for years to believe that anyone who isn't pureblood is inferior. I don't see how there could have been any room in his dogma to have a schoolboy crush on a muggle born girl. Plus he teased all of us, don't tell me he was overcompensating crushes for all of us."

Luna shrugged. "Who knows."

"Who knows indeed." Hermione sighed. She could see the smoke from the Hogsmeade chimneys just up ahead. She could almost taste the fire whiskey.

"He'll be here tonight, won't he?" Neville asked. "Is it going it be awkward between you two at all or..." he trailed off, waiting for Hermione to answer.

Hermione inhaled and exhaled deeply. Would it be awkward between the two of them? Hermione always considered herself quite the awkward individual while Draco always seemed smooth and composed. "I guess it's only awkward if you make it awkward, right? I plan on being totally casual. I'm not going to avoid him tonight but also not make a huge effort to be around him..." She gave a small groan. "It's going to be awkward, isn't it?"

Neville and Luna both giggled, not answering but supporting Hermione's fears that tonight was going to be uncomfortable for all involved. Again, Hermione felt like she was fourteen, experiencing butterflies in her stomach like when she descended the stairs at the Yule Ball to meet Viktor Krum. Why was she so nervous? She tried to put herself into her most confident mindset. She looked great that night, she had slicked her hair back into a sleek ponytail and put on minimal makeup that made her skin positively glow. She would walk in with her friends by her side, make a beeline for the bar, and get nice and tipsy. If she encountered Draco tonight, she would have lots of liquid courage in her system and nothing would be awkward at all. After all, she and Draco did have quite natural conversations whenever they spoke. Yup, she would be totally not awkward and everything would be totally fine.

Hermione, Luna, and Neville stepped into The Three Broomsticks, immediately met with a rush of warm air. By the time they had reached the inn, it was snowing quite heavily and they were all thankful to be inside. Hanging their coats on the racks in the entrance, they proceed into the throng of people crowded around tables. Professors, both current and retired, as well as other prominent figures in the Wizarding world were invited to the party. In the past couple of years Hermione had met most of these people and listened to their exciting inside stories of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. She recognized many of them as she made her way to the bar, shaking hands with a few. A couple feet away from the bar, McGonagall stepped into Hermione's path, embracing Hermione as if she was an old friend and offered to buy her a drink. McGonagall had definitely begun to let loose over the past couple of years, but tonight Hermione could tell that McGonagall was feeling the mulled wine above all else.

"My dear I am so happy to have caught you before you returned to London. I feared that you may have even left before tonight!" McGonagall said, one arm around Hermione as they proceeded towards the bar. "Madame Rosmerta, I shall have another mulled wine, and Hermione here will have a…"

"Firewhiskey. Make it a double, please." Hermione replied.

Madame Rosmerta smiled and nodded at the two of them, returning shortly with their drinks. Hermione and McGonagall knocked their glasses together in a cheers and Hermione quickly downed her drink, feeling the burn of the liquid caress her throat. It was exactly what she needed. Hermione and McGonagall continued to chat for several minutes before Hermione remembered what Draco had brought up before.

"Oh, just today Professor Malfoy mentioned an idea that I thought would have great potential for the students." Hermione said, gesturing to Rosmerta that she would like another.

McGonagall took a sip of her wine. "Oh Draco has such curiously wonderful ideas, I'm sure from all of his time spent in America. What has he come up with now?"

"He would like to do an exchange between Hogwarts and a wizarding school in America. Give our students a taste of what the wizarding world is like outside of Britain. Like the Triwizard Tournament I guess, just less dragons and hopefully no one will die this time."

McGonagall snorted in laughter, spraying wine in the air. The Headmistress had definitely had a lot of wine this evening to have thought that joke was funny, Hermione thought.

Still chuckling to herself, McGonagall cleaned the wine off of herself with her wand. "That does sounds like an idea worth exploring. The Triwizard Tournament, the dangers aside, did benefit students' awareness of the world greatly. Why are you proposing this to me instead of him?"

"He's uncertain if you would approve of the idea, so I wanted to get a feel out for him." Hermione replied.

McGonagall nodded. "Well you may certainly tell him he can come to me first thing when classes start up again with a formal proposal. I would like to see where this idea could go. Oh, now you must excuse me dear, I just spotted Hero Bosch who I hear has some rare books he would like to donate to our library." McGonagall finished the rest of her drink and rushed off towards a squat man in mustard yellow robes standing in the corner.

Madame Rosmerta slid another glass of firewhiskey across the bar to Hermione. Settling onto a bar stool, Hermione picked up the drink and scanned the room. Luna and Neville were at a booth with Professor Sprout, Neville very animately talking about something. Professor Sprout beamed at her old student, no doubt proud of his accomplishments as he successor in the position. She sipped her drink and continued scanning, spotting Professor Slughorn surrounded by several people intently listening to a story he was telling. The Slug Club is still going strong, Hermione thought. Chuckling to herself, she looked over at the front door which had just opened. A figure dressed in all black stepped into the room in a whirl of snow, a hood obscuring their face. As the door slammed shut, Hermione took another sip and watched the figure reach up to lower their hood. As they did, the figure looked up to make eye contact with Hermione. It was Draco.

Hermione choked on her firewhiskey and quickly turned away. Smooth, real smooth, Hermione thought, I must have just looked like a complete idiot. She tried to regain her cool and remained facing the bar for several seconds, finishing her drink. However when she turned back towards the door, Draco had already gone. She searched the crowd, eventually spotting Draco's blond head bobbing away from her towards the far side of the room. Bloody hell, she thought, this was not going well for her so far. She would just have to prove how not awkward she was later.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hermione choked on her firewhiskey and quickly turned away. Smooth, real smooth, Hermione thought, I must have just looked like a complete idiot. She tried to regain her cool and remained facing the bar for several seconds, finishing her drink. However when she turned back towards the door, Draco had already gone. She searched the crowd, eventually spotting Draco's blond head bobbing away from her towards the far side of the room. Bloody hell, she thought, this was not going well for her so far. She would just have to prove how not awkward she was later._

Hermione eventually left the bar with a fresh drink in her hand and started to mingle. Almost completed recovered from her embarrassing moment with Draco, she confidently introduced herself to a few important figures in the mix that night. While she was chatting it up with Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, she was delighted to see Harry approach them, who she embraced warmly. Harry, a high ranking Auror with the ministry, introduced Hermione and Shacklebolt to his most promising Auror students who he had brought along. As Shacklebolt engaged the students in questions about their experience as an Auror so far, Hermione pulled Harry aside. She was hoping he would be there tonight so that she could tell him what had happened.

Harry's initial reaction was exactly the same as Luna and Neville's. However, after a moment, he began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Hermione asked, confused.

Still laughing Harry said, "You know, part of me always thought that maybe he had a crush on you. Ginny and I have talked about this before. You and Draco are really scarily similar if you think about it. And I often saw him soften more with you than anyone else. Maybe you didn't see it yourself, but sometimes in class he would look at you not with hate and disgust like he usually looked at all of us, but more like a tormented, inner turmoil look. Perhaps he was feeling some 'forbidden love' towards you that daddy wouldn't approve of." Harry laughed even more.

Hermione scoffed. Could this be true?

Harry stopped laughing, adopting a warm, fatherly expression he often wore when speaking about Hermione's personal life. "How do you feel about it? Do you like him? Enjoy his company? He really has become a great guy, I'll admit it myself. I ran into him at the Ministry right after he returned from America and we actually ended up talking for quite some time. And really, I think you two are more similar than you think you are." Harry said, coyly sipping his drink and glancing up at Hermione over the glass. He shared Hermione's outlook of forgiving and forgetting as to move on, so that fact that Harry thought he was a good person did not shock her.

Hermione looked down at her drink, thinking about everything Harry had just said. Maybe Draco really did have a crush on her all along. Maybe this wasn't big practical joke or a love potion gone awry. But as for the question of did she like him, she had no idea. She had spent so much time trying to figure out why Draco had asked her to dinner she had barely thought about how she actually felt about him.

"I...have a lot to think about. I do enjoy his company a great deal. But I really don't know him that well... I think I have to get to really know him before I can decide if I 'like him,' you know?" Hermione said.

Harry nodded in agreement. "Makes sense. Have you set a date yet?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Jeez, you made that sounds like we're setting a date for our wedding. But no, he's going to call me when he's back in town, I'm probably going back tomorrow though. I wonder when he'll be back..."

"Well, you could ask him when he's going back right now." Harry looked past Hermione's head, jerking his head upwards and wiggling his eyebrows.

Hermione froze. "Is he behind me?" she whispered.

"Why are you whispering? Yeah, he's talking to Alberta Fletcher, the director of St. Mungos, not two metres behind you. She's probably trying to get more money from him for the burn wing they're building." Harry replied.

"No no no we have to move away from him." Hermione said through clenched teeth, pushing Harry back towards the bar. She was ashamed that she was trying to run away again but she still wasn't ready to prove how not awkward she was.

Harry scoffed, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders and pushing her back towards Draco. "What are you talking about, let's just invite him over! Hey, Draco!" He was obviously aware of how uncomfortable Hermione was and loving every second of it. Hermione tried to protest, saying 'I'm not ready,' but Harry was busy waving his arms at Draco and grinning like a fool.

"Hello, Harry. Hello, Hermione." a silky voice said in Hermione's ear.

Hermione slowly turned around, finding herself face to face with Draco. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth, trying to find her words but failing. He smirked at her reaction before taking a sip of his drink. Hermione remained frozen, wide eyed, mouth gaping, forgetting how to even say a proper greeting. 'Why am I so fucking awkward?' Was all she could think. Her heart was going double time. Thankful, Harry swooped into rescue her.

"Hey there Draco, it's fantastic to see you again." Harry said, stepping past Hermione to shake Draco's hand. The two men proceeded to discuss the ministry, quidditch, and the residential neighborhoods of London. Hermione stood awkwardly between them, completely tuning their conversation out and looking everywhere else that wasn't in Draco's direction. Finally her heart returned to a normal beat and she started to listen in on their conversation. They were talking about Hogwarts.

"...and the past couple of months have been an absolutely fantastic experience, this new generation of students and their desire for learning, so inspiring. Not to mention all of the amazing support I've received from my colleagues, Hermione here included."

Draco turned to address Hermione directly when he said her name. Hermione could feel herself starting to blush and was thankful it was quite dark in The Three Broomsticks.

"Oh yes, well, we were so thankful to have such a qualified professor relieve Professor Bins after he decided it was time to retire to a life of simply roaming the halls of Hogwarts with the rest of the ghosts." Hermione replied. Draco's eyes were positively piercing her own as she spoke but she could feel herself regaining her cool by the second. Having Harry there as a safety net probably wasn't hurting.

"I for one could not believe he gave up endlessly boring his students, I swear I spent more time sleeping in that class than in my own bed." Harry said.

Draco peeled his eyes away from Hermione to address Harry. "Oh me too, that's why I make an extra effort in my class to see to the students stay engaged at all times. It's a whole lot more difficult than one may think. Of course, Hermione has a lot more experience with that, especially in Transfiguration, such an...active subject." His gaze once again snapped back to Hermione.

"Well I certainly don't have any problems with students falling asleep, more like accidently turning each other into ferrets." Hermione replied.

Draco stared at her for a second and then burst out in laughter. Hermione stood there in shock while Draco continued to laugh, not understanding what was so funny about what she had said. Still chuckling, Draco asked "Are you referring to the time Professor Moody turned me into a white ferret in our fourth year?"

A wave of realization hit her and she felt herself blush again.. "Oh my gosh no, I had completely forgot about that, I was just using a ferret as a random example, I didn't mean…" Hermione stammered. She glanced over at Harry, who had a hand over his mouth to stifle his own uncontrollable laughter. Obviously he had made the connection quicker than she had.

Draco began laughing even harder, throwing his head back and slapping his thigh with his free hand. Harry joined in as well. Hermione thought she had never seen Draco so...spirited. It suited him, taking an edge off his usually severe presence. However, he would have to stop wearing all black to really achieve that. She and Luna often joked that he looked like a blond Snape in his chosen uniform, but they would of course never say that to his face.

Hermione crossed her arms, adopting her signature stern expression she always wore to let Harry and Ron know she wasn't joking around. Both men composed themselves, wiping tears from their eyes and sighing.

"It's quite alright, Hermione. I no longer have nightmares of being trapped in a white furry body." Draco said before erupting in another round of laughter with Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes, arms still crossed, waiting for this one to end. Draco sighed again and took a sip of his drink before looking back at Hermione.

"Really, I find it quite funny now obviously, you have nothing to worry about." Draco said, extending a hand and softly touching Hermione on the arm. His hand sent a shock of electricity through her body and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Her breath caught and she stared into his welcoming, grey eyes. Draco smiled at her before retracting his hand. Whoa, what was that? She thought.

Draco reached out again, this time to shake Harry's hand. "I really must go talk with Miriam Gaggle, people are saying she's the next Bathilda Bagshot and I would love to discuss a little bit of historiography with her. But it's been a pleasure to see you, Harry, I hope to run into you more while I'm in London."

"Likewise, Draco. Don't be a stranger." Harry replied, returning the handshake.

Draco nodded his head and stepped past Harry, but turned his head to flash a smile back at Hermione out of Harry's eyesight. Hermione returned the smile and felt the butterflies in her stomach once more. She chugged the rest of her drink in an attempt to calm them. Putting a hand on her forehead in shame, she looked up at Harry who was giving her a very knowing smile.  
"Well I think I was quite right about how he feels about you. And the sexual tension could have been cut by a knife, I felt like quite the third wheel just now." Harry said smugly.  
Hermione punched him in the arm, giving him a scolding look. "Shut up, it was awkward and you know it. I mean it was ok...ish at the end there but the rest was a bloody disaster. For some reason I can't be a normal human being whenever I'm around him tonight. Is it because I haven't been in the dating game? Have I just forgotten how to flirt and be normal?" She asked.  
"Dating and flirting does require a certain amount of practice and skill. I dare say if I tried to put myself out there again I would utterly fail. Yes, it was awkward, but also it was so obvious he was flirting with you, trust me, I'm a guy." Harry said, taking a confident sip of his drink  
"Oh really, please do enlighten me on the mysteries of the male psyche." Hermione sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes.

"Plus, being so awkward and nervous like that can be a sign that you do like him." Harry said.

Hermione paused. "I mean...I guess so, I don't…"

Harry cut her off. "You don't have to decide how you feel right now, but I think how you're feeling in this moment is a good indication of where that decision is heading."  
The pair continued to chat for several minutes about the interaction, Hermione was convinced she would never be able to act normal around Draco again while Harry was convinced otherwise. Eventually Harry decided he better rescue his students from having their ears talked off by Professor Slughorn.  
"You'll be coming around for James' birthday next week, right?" Harry said, embracing Hermione tightly.  
"Of course, I'm told Ginny I would help her with the cooking, don't worry." Hermione replied.

"Alright, and do let me know when you're back in town anyway, as well as how your date goes." Harry said, winking at Hermione before going off to find his students.

"Will do!" She shouted after him as he disappeared into the crowd. Hermione smiled. Maybe Harry was right, with just a little practice, maybe she could actually flirt back with Draco. That is if he wanted to flirt with her ever again. She gave a deep sigh, the room was beginning to get quite crowded and the heat was becoming unbearable. Dropping her empty glass off at the nearest table, she grabbed her coat and slipped out the front door for a bit of fresh air. Not to mention she had a lot to think about on her own. Outside, the snow had let up but several centimeters of fresh powdery snow covered the cobbled streets of the village. Hermione pulled her coat around herself and started walking towards a bench on the side of the building, leaving footprints in the snow behind her. Drawing her wand from her inner pocket, she dusted off the snow from the bench and sat down. The night was quite still, except for the soft sound of snowflakes falling.

Hermione started thinking about everything that had happened so far that evening, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the front door of The Three Broomsticks opening, the sounds of the party spilling out and warm yellow light illuminating her footprints in the snow. The door closed and a dark silhouette of a figure stood in its wake. It walked towards her, following her footprints with soft crunches of snow. Light from a nearby lamp post illuminated the figure from the side, light bouncing off their blond head. Once again, it was Draco.


	4. Chapter 4

A short but emotional chapter! Hope you enjoy this development!

 _Hermione started thinking about everything that had happened so far that evening, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the front door of The Three Broomsticks opening, the sounds of the party spilling out and warm yellow light illuminating her footprints in the snow. The door closed and a dark silhouette of a figure stood in its wake. It walked towards her, following her footprints with soft crunches of snow. Light from a nearby lamp post illuminated the figure from the side, light bouncing off their blond head. Once again, it was Draco._

"Mind if I join you?"

Hermione's mind was racing. Had he followed her out here? Or was it just a coincidence. She wanted to be alone to think about, well, him, but it would be rude to say 'no go away I need to ponder if I like you or not.' So she nodded her head and scooted to the side of the bench to give him room to sit. After a minute of silence, Draco spoke up.

"Have you been enjoying yourself tonight, Hermione?"

She looked up at him, surprised by his voice. "Oh, yes, it's been a quite splendid party. McGonagall is properly pissed which has just made my night." She replied.

Draco chuckled. "That has definitely been one of the highlights."

The two sat in silence for another minute, Hermione kicking her toe at a patch of snow. She spoke up first this time.

"Did you-"

But Draco interrupted her. "I didn't follow you out here if that's what you were wondering, I needed a bit of air and I was surprised to see you out here as you probably were as well."

"Oh no, I didn't-" Hermione began to protest, but Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

She sighed and then chuckled. "Yeah you're right, I did think that you had followed me out here. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Hermione, totally understandable. I would have thought the same. I hope I didn't freak out or anything."

"It takes a lot to freak me out these days, Draco."

Hermione turned away and focused on the sound of snow falling, thinking hard. How did she get into this situation? She had so many questions to ask him, however she wasn't sure if this was the right time to ask him. Or maybe it was. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out "Did you have a crush on me the entire time during school?" She quickly covered her mouth, immediately feeling stupid she had asked that and wishing she could take it back. Apparently the firewhiskey was affecting her more than she thought. She turned back to look at Draco with wide eyes. He stared back at her intently.

"Yes, I did. Since the day I met you." He replied softly.

Heart beating out of her chest, Hermione saw the world swimming before her and felt like she was falling through the bench. She was positively shocked, not expecting that answer. Instead she was expecting Draco to laugh it off and tell her she was overthinking everything. It looked like Harry had been right about Draco all along. An inexplicable multitude of emotions washed over her and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Why am I crying? This is just a lot, she rationalized to herself. Not wanting him to see the tears, she quickly looked away from Draco again, instead focusing on a lamp post across the street.

"Hermione."

After a moment she reluctantly looked back at Draco. He too looked as if he was on the brink of tears. Of course, he's going through a lot of emotions right now too, she thought. It comforted her. Draco reached out and rested his hand on her face, his hand warm against her wind chilled face. She felt another shock of electricity spread through her body. A tear rolled down her cheek. Embarrassed, she tried to wriggle away from his hand, but he tenderly wiped it away with his thumb. Butterflies erupted once again in her stomach as she felt her face melt against the touch of his hand. He slowly dropped hand and ran it through his hair. Standing up abruptly, he gazed out at the same lamp post for a moment before turning back to Hermione. His face broke into a sad smile.

Hermione's mind raced faster than it ever had before. So many more questions had been raised about Draco and she wanted to know the answers to them all. What had sparked these feelings in him? Had he ever told anyone? Why had he treated her so horribly for so long, was it really just a cover?

"Draco, I-"

"Goodnight, Hermione. Safe travels back to London, I will be seeing you soon and will answer any and all questions I'm sure you have in full detail."

He raised the hood on his cloak and started walking back down the street in the direction of the castle. Hermione watched him, the falling snow obscuring his figure the farther he retreated. More hot tears began freely streaming down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, inhaling and exhaling the cold winter air. She felt a strange combination of excitement, awe, and sadness. Why am I crying so much? Why am I feeling like this? She asked herself. What does this mean? Do I have...feelings for him too? Not wanting to deal with these confusing emotions anymore, she decided she needed to just go to bed and forget about all of this for the night. She didn't feel like going back into the party in the state she was in but didn't want to leave without telling Luna and Neville. Sighing, she stood, taking another deep breath and willing her tears to stop. The snow was starting to pick up again, so she hurried back into The Three Broomsticks, wiping away the last couple of tears from her face.

Entering the pub, she could tell the party was now in full swing. The lights had been lowered even more and the air smelled heavily of spiced wine. The air was insanely humid and Hermione immediately wished she was back outside in the fresh air again. Fighting her way through the crowd, she passed McGonagall who was propped up on Professor Slughorn's shoulder as he entertained a group of wizards who hung onto his every word. McGonagall is going to regret everything tomorrow morning, Hermione thought to herself, chuckling. Eventually she spotted Luna's silvery head at a table in the far corner and made her way over. Luna and Neville were seated alone and Luna was reading a newspaper aloud to him. Neville clung onto every word she said, a look of pure love in his eyes. As Hermione approached them, Luna looked up and waved at her. Neville shook his head, his concentration on Luna broken.

"Hey you two." Hermione said when she reached them, slumping down in an empty seat at the table.

"We haven't seen you the entire party! What have you been up to?" Luna eagerly asked, folding the paper way with her wand.

"Oh it's been quite the night. Quite the day really, I keep pinching myself to see if it's just all been a dream." Hermione replied, sniffing.

She relayed everything that had happened, from her talk with Harry to her encounter with Draco outside.

"Wow, I can't believe he can laugh about being turned into a ferret, I would be traumatized for life." Neville said when Hermione was done.

Hermione scowled at him. "Did you not hear what I just said, Draco just admitted that he had a crush on me during the entirety of school, isn't that the most earth shattering thing you've ever heard?"

Neville opened his mouth to reply, but Luna cut him off. "Never mind him, that definitely is earth shattering for you. But not surprising considering what Harry said about how he saw Draco act when he thought no one was watching."

"Yes, I agree...Harry was right. Shockingly." Hermione said in a far off voice, thinking more about Harry's observations. How had she never seen Draco looking at her like that? How many more signs had she missed? Luna and Neville started talking between the two of them about Draco, but Hermione wasn't paying attention, her mind in deep thought about Draco, trying to pinpoint interactions they had in the past in an attempt to find any sort of clue or sign. Far off, she heard her name being called. She looked over at Luna, who was repeating her name and wearing a look of concern.

"Hermione, you seem tired and distracted, want us to take you home?" Luna asked, reaching across the table to touch Hermione's hand.

"Oh no that's fine, I can go back alone." She replied, yawning.

"No really, I think we're ready to go as well, aren't we Neville?" He nodded eagerly in response.

The three stood and proceeded to the front door to gather their things, stepping out into the cold night. They walked back to the castle in silence, which Hermione was grateful for. She decided she was going straight to bed when she got back. She needed to push away all the emotions she was feeling just for another day so she could finish her grading and pack. In London, she would visit Harry and Ginny to talk about Draco. She just had to make it until then.


	5. Chapter 5

Even though she had wished to sleep soundlessly through the night, Hermione barely slept following the party. She woke up at 5am from fitful dreams, unable to fall back asleep. After lying awake unable to stop thinking about the night before for what felt like an hour, she gave up and decided she might as well get a head start on finishing grading and head back to London that afternoon. After making a pot of coffee, she tried to hammer out the last few essays but found her mind often wandering off to thinking about Draco. The way he looked at her when he told her he fancied her in school, his sad smile before he had left her on the bench. She even caught herself writing 'Draco' instead of the name of one of her students, gasping in embarrassment and quickly erasing the quill mark with her wand. What was coming over her? Since when did she act like a school girl with a crush?

After finally finishing, she immediately went straight to packing, sending all of her belongings zooming around the room as they packed themselves in her suitcase, which had been expanded with her trusty charm. Within 20 minutes, she was headed out her door, bundled up with suitcase in hand. She swung by the headmistress' office to drop off a roll of parchment with the final grades for her students before leaving the castle, heading towards to Hogsmeade. The snow had stopped, but a thick layer of pure white had covered the grounds of Hogwarts. Several students who were staying over the break built snowmen and threw snowballs at each other, peels of laughter echoing across the front lawn. As soon as she was outside the boundary of the castle, Hermione stopped to adjusted her coat and took a deep breath. With a sudden crack, she disappeared, disapparating, finding herself in the alley behind her building in Marylebone. As a security measure, she had made it so no one could apparate into her flat, not even her. After how many apparating mishaps she had experienced in her life, she just felt safer that way.

In the lift of her building, she watched the numbers count up as it ascended. Apparating always exhausted her, and combined with her lack of sleep the night before, she was looking forward to collapsing on her couch for a quick nap. A soft ding announced that they had reached the 14th floor and she stepped out into the hallway. She fumbled for her keys in her pocket as she approached her door. She lived in a muggle building where normal locks and keys were used, instead of the wand recognition locks installed in most wizarding buildings. Finding them in the depths of her pockets, she unlocked her door and stepped inside.

Her flat was modest in size, but still polished and flawlessly decorated. The living area was filled with bright morning sun streaming through the many large windows. She could see out onto Marylebone Village, the snowy street busy with morning shoppers hurrying between shops to stay warm. Shelves of books as well as numerous paintings and sculptures lined the walls. While most of Hermione's books lived in her office at the school, she kept her collection of muggle books in her flat. All of her furniture was modern, simple and geometric in shape and exclusively in black and white. This decor choice offered a dramatic contrast from the luscious and stuffy decor in her school office. It made Hermione feel like she was more part of the modern world in which the magic and muggle worlds coexisted.

Walking into her bedroom, Hermione plopped her suitcase and coat onto the crisp white sheets of her queen sized bed. She opened it and with a flick of her wand, her belongings began to unpack themselves into their proper places around the room. Leaving her belongings to sort out themselves, she headed back into the living area. With another flick of her wand, the kettle in the kitchen right off the living room started to boil. She opened a cabinet and reached in, extracting her favorite red mug and proceeded to fix herself a cup of tea. While she waited for the water to finish boiling, she made note of what she needed to get at the shop. She would go out later. She finished fixing her tea and trudged towards the couch, digging into her pocket for her mobile.

On the couch, she checked her texts while taking a long sip of tea. One from Ginny and one from Luna, both sent this morning. She opened Ginny's first.

 _Hey Hermione, Harry told me you're planning to be back in town either today or tomorrow. If you're back by tonight, are you going to Dean Thomas' wife's baby shower in Kensington? A lot of the old gang will be there and I'm sure they would love to see you! Let me know what your plans are xx_

Hermione smiled. That's right, she had received the invitation a couple weeks ago but had completely forgot. She would love to see some of the old Gryffindor gang, she hadn't seen a lot of the since the end of the war. She replied:

 _I just got in! I would love to come, what time is it again? Also, what is his wife's name? I missed their wedding and completely forgot her name...oops._

She opened the text from Luna, not surprised to see it was about the baby shower as well.

 _Hey, are you going to Dean's wife's baby shower? Neville just told me we had gotten invited and I persuaded him that we should go. I didn't know they were pregnant! Isn't that just lovely. Are you going? A bunch of old classmates will be there. Are you going?_

Hermione laughed, it was such a typical message from Luna. However she was surprised that Luna and Neville were going as they didn't live in London. They preferred the country and instead had bought a home in Cornwall. They didn't visit the city that often. She quickly responded.

 _I'm going to go! But what is his wife's name? I completely forgot..._

Pressing send, she sat back into the leather of the couch, taking another long sip of tea. It was nice to be home, to have a momentary break from Draco and all the drama. However, she knew that once Draco caught wind that she was back in town, it would all start back up again.

Hermione awoke several hours later to the sound of a car horn going off below on the street. She had dozed off thinking about what the date with Draco might be like. Where would he take her? Would it be fancy or laid back? He seemed like someone who would take her somewhere upscale, but at the same time maybe not. What would she wear if he took her somewhere fancy? She mentally sorted through her closet, eventually deciding she needed new. The only date worthy article of clothing she had were the robes she wore to the party the night before and she knew Ginny would tell her it would be a huge faux pas to wear them again when Draco had already seen her in them. She decided she would convince Ginny to go dress shopping with her tomorrow, just in case.

Hermione groggily sat up and check her watch. It was 3:50pm, she had slept for nearly 4 hours. Yawning, she stood up and grabbed her phone from the coffee table. There was a text from Ginny telling her the baby shower was at 5 o'clock and gave her the address. Also the wife's name was Alexa, and she was American. Well, so much for going to the shops today, Hermione thought, she had less than an hour to get ready if she was going to take the tube. She didn't feel like apparating anymore that day. She sleepily walked into her bedroom, and got herself ready for a much needed shower.

A half hour later, Hermione sat at her dresser, running a comb through her wet, curly, elbow length hair. Over the years she had gotten a handle on her mane of hair, and with the help of choice hair products it was now more tame and shiny than wild and frizzy. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she sighed. All she had though about for the past half hour was Draco. More about their date, about their school years, trying to think of signs that he had fancied her during their time working together. He was beginning to infect all of her thoughts, and she realized she didn't really mind.

Glancing down at her watch, she gathered her things and look one last glance in the mirror. No longer required to wear robes everyday, she had gone with a casual look, a thick green turtleneck sweater paired with black jeans and leather boots. She knew that women usually wore dresses to baby showers, but she had no real intentions of impressing anyone tonight. No one bothered to set her up since they all knew she wasn't interested in dating anymore. Hermione was now used to being the single one among all of her married and otherwise coupled up friends. However, maybe she wouldn't be so single for much longer, she thought as she confidently tousled her hair with one hand. In her mind she saw an image of entering a party filled with old friends, hand in hand with Draco. But she quickly scolded herself and let out a deep, defeated sigh before turning away from the mirror to leave. She had to manage her exceptions about Draco, she couldn't let her imagination run away like that. Just because they were going on a date didn't mean they would be a couple. She had to think realistically, not romantically. That's how hearts get broken, she reminded herself, locking her door behind her and heading down the hall to the lift.


End file.
